Amputate and Cauterize
by Vrenash
Summary: What do you do when the world is so corrupt that being anywhere near the bottom will be suffocated and drown in the filth? Will you fight against the forces above and try and tear them down, or rise above all the others around you? And this band of Shadowrunners will soon find themselves facing even greater difficulties, and must try to stem the bleeding to keep themselves going.
1. Prologue: Take the Call

Another night loomed above the sprawl of Seattle. The darkness was held at bay with the soulless light shining from the countless skyscrapers. The rumble of machinery, the humming of drones and air-taxis, and the endless whispering and grumbling from the huddled masses kept the concrete jungle tearing through the night as always.

For those capable of affording a better class of living accommodations however, they are lucky enough to be able to completely block out the real world and live within their own isolation in piece. For those that have the backing of one of the Megas, or that provide backing to them, you can even rely on a certain degree of safety for your Astral and Matrix privacy. Or you can go out hunting to cause trouble for others.

From inside corporate territory the entire world outside could almost appear peaceful. With all of the wealth and power possessed within their walls made them their own pocket worlds. Outsiders could see them as paradise within a cruel and unforgiving land. Those that knew better understood that anyone outside the Corp, and even some within it, should only view them as a means too a quick grave should you try and jump yourself up any.

Within the linked halls of Renraku Computer Systems' in their territory within the Seattle limits countless wageslaves roam back and forth, enjoying the Neo-Japanese contemporary styling of the interiors. There are never enough hours in the day to accomplish the work needed, but the combination of stimulants and bioware extend the working hours enough for their Corporate masters to be satisfied, for the time being.

At his personal terminal worked one employee that had a little more pull than those commonly around him. The apartment was spacious with all the amenities one could hope for. As his fingers moved rapidly across a laser keyboard to write up yet another report he would pause on occasion to take a sip from the glass of merlot at his side. This dwarf kept his dark beard exquisitely trimmed, his suit tailored to beautifully accentuate his muscular frame.

There was an inaudible beep from his cranial commlink gave the dwarf pause. With a thought he recorded the progress on his current report and banished it from his display. Standing up to relieve the cramping in his muscles he brought up the new message to the front of his PAN. A grin crossed his face as he read the few words contained in the message; "Hellfire Bar, 1:00 am tomorrow."

"Well, that doesn't give me much time to get everyone together," the dwarf muttered to himself. He opened one of the draws in his desk, slipped on his concealable holster, and brought out his Hammerli 620S pistol. Gently slotting in a magazine of ammunition he tucked the gun into his holster and pocketed another magazine in case things went south in a hurry. He made his way over to the door, looking over a few of his different augmented sunglasses options.

"Heading out Davas?" The soft feminine voice called from one of the two bedrooms of the apartment. A fair featured head emerged from inside, a loose fitting martial arts gi draping her slender and well-curved frame. "I trust you'll be back before too long cousin. If not, I'll see you after my class is done in the morning."

"Don't worry, this is just a job scouting mission." Davas grinned and threw on the sunglasses he had settled on. "Shouldn't be any danger tonight Jessica, so you can just relax and I'll see you later."

Jessica rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she grinned slightly and returned to her room.

As he opened the door Davas fired off a PAN message to the people he wanted with him for this meet. It was going to be another busy day.


	2. 1: Bringing the Band Back Together

Exhaust smoke hung in the air. Shouts of rage, sadness, and drunken ignorance replaced the sounds of digital advertising messages. Ruined shells of buildings stood beside the cracked webs that were once well-used streets. Amidst all the ruin of the Seattle Barrens metahumans from all the dregs of society washed up together. Together they would find whatever rest, respite, or work that could be made available to them. The Hellfire Bar, rooted between a few of the broken shells of old buildings, was a location for people looking for just such things.

It was a single story squat building, grey plascreet with a pathetic attempt at painted hellfire across it. Most of the paint seemed to be trying to conceal the obvious structural damage across the lower reaches of the building proper. The bad art couldn't hide the sagging in the walls and ceiling however. A sturdy door composed of old bits of welded together steel, the same type that made up the bars covering every window. An open, mostly debris free stretch of plascreet served as the parking lot, filled with numerous motorcycles all bearing the logo of the Spikes Street gang. Everything about it screamed that only the toughest people should set foot near it.

Everything except for the posh-dressed dwarf standing beside a blue Mercury Comet sedan.

"Where the hell are the others," Davas muttered to himself. His sunglasses did as good a job concealing his eyes as they did enhancing his senses, so no one else should have been able to see his eyes darting back and forth. Along the bottom of the glasses his clock read 12:53 am, June 9, 2072. "I am never late to a meet."

From behind one of the ruined buildings emerged a series of headlights. The vehicles pulled into the parking lot. Up front was an enormous Harley-Davidson Scorpion being ridden by an equally enormous figure. Behind it rolled in a pair of scooters. The trio of vehicles and riders pulled in beside Davas' car.

"You lot took long enough," muttered Davas as he gave his fellow runners a grin. "If you had taken any longer I might have had to go to the meet by myself."

"Hello," called back the enormous figure stepping off his motorcycle. His voice was full and deep, but there was an unmistakable childlike quality to it. Unusual to say the least for a nearly three meter tall troll, long blond hair clinging to his rough face. "Jek knew that Davas wouldn't go in without him. A fight could start, and Davas is no good in fights."

"You give Davas too much credit," mumbled one of the men dismounting from a scooter. His clothing was dark and slightly loose around his gaunt frame. Removing the helmet and setting it on the handlebars revealed short-cropped black hair, and unusually pale skin for his Asian features. The cybereyes and faint marks of old upgrade surgeries may give reason for some of the unusual nature of his appearance. "He gets into a fight by himself and he's dead. He starts a fight and gets me involved with it while I'm here, and he's covering my ammunition costs plus hazard pay."

"Oh Hanzo, that isn't very nice to say. Jek is here and can handle all the fighting on my own."

"And then I'll have to patch all of us up, so I'd appreciate not getting shot at tonight. We haven't had a meet out in the Barrens for a while. If memory serves our last Barrens job offer had an argument over the pay, and it resulted in me getting shot in the leg, and our employer getting his head unceremoniously removed by Hanzo's shotgun."

These musing came from the man on the other scooter. A mess of dirty brown hair tumbled out of his helmet, reaching the neck of his armoured duster jacket. The man didn't appear to have any weapons on him, although a medical kit did hang from his belt.

"One day perhaps Davas will find us another job where we can stay in civilized company," muttered Hanzo as he adjusted his clothes, checked his gear, and cracked his neck. "Of course it tends to be the civilized meets that try to fuck us the hardest. Now lets get this over with."

Hanzo began walking up the door to the Hellfire Bar. Jek, a broad grin on his features came as he grabbed the massive axe from the side of his chopper and slung it across his back. The other man shook his head, and allowed Davas to go before him. Davas glanced up as he walked past. "If Hanzo is right and we get shot, I expect you to heal me first Doc, so I can increase how much we get paid."

"Financial support is the only way that my bills get paid and I still get the medical supplies I need to keep us and the rest going. Here's hoping we get this done easily." Doc followed Davas into the bar, his fingers crossed behind his back.

The inside of the bar was even murkier than the outside. Nearly a dozen trolls wearing leather jackets with the Spikes gang logo on them sat at most of the tables inside, drinking from massive tankards, smoking cigars, and occasionally punching each other in the head for accusing each other of cheating at cards. The smoke drifting around their rough faces made them look near the demons that should be found in a place of hellfire. Conversation wouldn't come easily due to the headache inducing volume of goblin rock being blasted through some ratty speakers in the corners.

A cursory glance from the troll bartender was all that the reaction the runners' entrance elicited. Given the state of the place, they got all kinds of metas coming through looking for cheap drink and bad soy. Most of the other people were passed out for the night at their tables. Other than the trolls only one table had conscious and attentive occupants, a booth far at the back. The fact that all three of them were wearing tailored suits worth more creds than the belongings of everyone else in the bar revealed that table to be the easy target for their employer for the night.

Davas, Doc, and Jek all headed over to the back booth and grabbed the seats across from the other three. Hanzo took a different tact, settling himself down beside a few of the passed out humans and sidelong from his companions. The bartender lumbered over to him, a massive scar crossing the right side of his face twisted his features. "What cun I get yus?" The troll ground out.

"Grab me a whisky." Hazo directed a few nuyen from his credstick to the bartender, and waited for his drink to arrive.

The three figures in suits sat across from Davas silently. An ork and a troll flanked the human that sat in the middle. Gazing lazily over his sunglasses, the man had clear signs of old cyberware surgeries, and his head was completely shaved right down to his dark skin. He didn't say a word.

"If you are looking to get something done, Mr. Johnson, my crew are the ones you need to do it." Davas gave a light and easy smile as he said the words, his sunglasses sliding slightly down his nose to show his shining and eager eyes.

"And who says I need something done?" Johnson's eyes remained bored, his voice steady. Neither of his companions even blinked.

Using the self-control he had developed over years of such negotiations Davas resisted his urge to roll his eyes, or sigh, or show any sign of displeasure. _So, we're playing this old song and dance all over again are we._ He thought to himself. The words that actually left his lips were a great deal different from his own thoughts. "We have a mutual friend that instructed me to meet here, with you, for some business. If this mutual friend has been sadly mistaken than allow me to buy you a drink to apologize for disturbing you. Of course, none of you look like the kinds of folks that would frequent a fine establishment such as this for your culinary needs. You three would prefer bottles of wines with names and labels on them I expect."

Mr. Johnson's cheek twitched the slightest amount. If his control hadn't been as good as it was he would have smirked a little bit. Davas knew he had an in. He stood up as though to leave.

"Please, stay a while. Perhaps we can talk after all." Mr. Johnson held up a staying hand, and brought out a fiber link from behind one ear. Davas brought one out from his behind his own ear. The two men connected through the cables and began a private conversation of their own.

"_Still interested in discussing business?_" Johnson's voice echoed inside Davas' head. No matter how many times Davas had done this it was always an unnatural sensation.

"_Depending on the job, and of course the fee, we'll see if we can deal."_ Couldn't let anything slip just yet. Some of his friends needed a way to keep their roof over their head. Passing up on jobs would lead to bad future negotiations if it happened too often. "_Begin with what you want, and how we fit in._"

While Davas negotiated just what the terms of this job would be with Mr. Johnson, it left the four other metahumans sitting around the table without much to do. Before long Jek began to drum his fingers on the top of the table. Then he began to hum loudly to himself, to strange looks from the orc and troll across from him. After a minute or two of this Jek turned to Doc.

"Doc, Jek is bored. It is interesting when Davas talks out loud, but when there are these quiet ones I get very bored. How can I be less bored Doc?"

"I, um, just give me minute to see if I have something." Rifling through his pockets Doc could only find his commlink, credstick, and his medical supplies. That, and an old rubber eraser. He held up the small box of pink rubber with a defeated look on his face. "Sorry Jek, all I have that I don't need is this old eraser."

"That will work." With surprising swiftness Jek grabbed the eraser from Doc's fingers. The large troll then began bouncing the eraser back and forth from hand to hand, a broad smile on his features. Missing one of the bounces, the eraser fell onto the table, and Jek frowned sadly down at it. Then he picked it back up, began bouncing it once more, and his great grin returned.

Hanzo barely had time to start his whisky before Mr. Johnson and Davas nodded to each other and shook hands. The troll with Johnson tapped a few keys on his comm. Then, without so much as another whisper the three Corp suits stood up and walked out the door.

"I'm not leaving without finishing my drink," Hanzo muttered to himself as he waited in the chair. Taking a draw from the glass, Hanzo's lip curled up. He glared at the murky liquid at the base of his glass. Then he drank down another mouthful. He looked back over to his companions, who sat leaned over in hushed conversation, except Jek who was still playing with the eraser Doc had given him. Didn't look like they'd try to leave before he could finish his drink at least.

A below of rage echoed from outside. None of the regulars so much as interrupted themselves mid-drink. After a few moments a troll with great sweeping horns pushed his way into the bar, the gingers of his right hand slightly curled and burnt. Fury filled eyes swept across the interior.

"Alright, which of you runts has the stupid little car outside?!" His roar nearly shook the empty glass in Hanzo's grasp.

There was a laughing echo from the trolls in the bar, who then all went back to their drinking and punching each other in the face. With the angry troll at the door still waiting for someone to identify themselves as the owner of the car outside. Finally, as he was the owner of the car, Davas waved the Troll over.

"Sorry my good troll, I'm afraid that the car is mine." Davas flashed his most charmingly apologetic smile. "It has a pretty good security system on it, so I do apologize if you got a little too close to it."

"I didn't accidentally get too close to your car you dumb squat!" Spit flew from the troll's thick lips. "You bring a stupid little car like that to our bar and it is going to get stolen. Turn off your fraggin' security so that I can sell the piece of garbage for parts, and maybe you'll walk out of here."

A flicker of genuine concern passed over Davas' eyes, but it didn't last long enough for anyone present to see it. "Well, I didn't realize that it was your bar my good…"

"I'm Thugg, of the Spikes Gang. And I'm taking your car whether you want me to or not."

"Can you shut your mouth?" Hanzo quietly asked it, not even rising from his chair. "You may be a member of the gang that helps run this bar, but since you slotted out when a little car security zapped your sausage fingers. Since your name is only Thugg, I don't expect you are much of a lieutenant in The Spikes."

"You smoothy piece of garbage!" Thugg tore his attention away from Davas to lurch towards Hanzo. Hi meaty hands pulled a massive knife from his belt. "Maybe I should cut your head off and show you where I belong in The Spikes."

"Have to do it without one leg I'm afraid." In the blink of an eye Hanzo had his right arm forward. The barrels of his sawed-off shotgun rested against Thugg's left knee. Fear filled the troll's eyes and his mouth hung open dumbly. "Now, since you started this I doubt any of your friends will come to help you. They'll probably enjoy watching this little smoothy blow your leg off. Maybe they are already placing bets on if you scream like a little bitch after."

All around the Hellfire Bar eyes of other Spikes were all turned to this little conversation. None had lifted themselves from their chairs, although some of their hands had inched towards various weapons on their hips. Others leaned close together, whispering quietly as trolls can in or'zet. A few even wore broad smirks.

"Choose quickly, my finger is itchy." Hanzo depressed the trigger on his shotgun the most miniscule of amounts.

Thugg turned around and headed to a different table. The trolls there laughed right in his face as he sat down with them. Thugg replied by trying to put his knife through one of their hands. A brawl broke out immediately. The runners all took that as their cue to leave.

As soon as they were out the door Davas turned to Hanzo. "Thanks for that."

"Don't bother thanking me, just let me know what I need to for the job." Shortened shotgun tucked beneath his jacket, Hanzo leaned up against his scooter. "I trust it will be a paying one."

"Yes Hanzo, the job will pay." Nearly sighing, Davas stood in front of his car, looking it over quickly for scratches. There was a slight stain of grease from where Thugg's fingers had tried to slip under door handle. Pulling a kerchief from inside his suit he began to polish his car. "I need to contact Dodger and Ez before I start explaining the plan however."

"Why do we have to wait Davas?" His lower lip pouting, Jek's tusks almost vanished into the flesh below, appearing like strange blemishes inside his mouth. "I need more credits."

"This will be a big job, so we'll need the backup." Grinned Davas as he pulled his kerchief away from his once more shining car. "We're stealing a weapon's shipment from Ares Macrotechnonlogy."

Both Jek and Hanzo grinned to themselves. Jek even began clapping his great meaty hands together. Doc's response wasn't quite as positive; "Fuck, I'm going to get shot again."

* * *

From inside a darkened factory none of the machines moved. They simply sat around still assembly lines, old oil dried upon them, gears and belts locked in place. Chains suspended incomplete drones and vehicles, but if they had only been abandoned or been forsaken since the last crash there were no hints or clues. Old dirt and grime were caked upon the floor. One word was labeled over everything; M.A.R.S. There was also one sound that echoed in shadowed halls, wet and thick coughing.

A metallic ringing sound crashed out and echoed off the barren walls. Lights burst to light, casting stark shadows about the lifeless factory. A few drones moved between the still conveyors and hooks. They all moved towards a colossal screen with a broad chair before it. Within that chair sat the source of the coughing, a decrepit old man with rotted teeth, sunken flesh, and a surprisingly well tailored suits.

Spitting a hunk of phlegm to the ground the man cast a hateful glance towards the enormous screen as another round of ringing echoed through the walls. Pulling open one of the arms of his chair, the man proceeded to pull out an all matrix deck. Connecting the cables to the base of his skull and another port in the chair he brought the screen before him to life. On one half stood an image of the old man, dressed as a vagabond from the middle ages with even harsher features and a sharp blade on his waist. The other screen, leaning against his car, was Davas.

"Well now Davas," began the Matrix projection of the old man. "I trust that there is a good reason why a little puppy like you wants to wake up friendly ol' Uncle Dodger from his nap? If it isn't a good reason he might just have to give you a big ol' spankin'."

"I trust work is a good enough reason Dodger," replied Davas with a broad smile. "And we've had a talk about you not talking to me like that. It creeps all of us out, and that's why we never have you on comm when we are talking to the client."

"This is just the way Uncle Dodger talks little puppy, but if you want I'll be quiet when you are talking to your Johnsons while I just poke around in their business a little bit. But work will certainly count as good enough reason to wake up Uncle Dodger. SO what are we doing to keep the fun going hmm?"

"I'll let you know once Ez has been connected too."

"I appreciate you calling me first you stunty little prick, but I don't like to be kept waiting, especially not just for some half-bred, corruption blooded ork bitch."

"Just wait while I do it." Davas set Uncle Dodger on hold in a back feed of his commlink. He looked at the others who were all staring at him. "How many times have we told Dodger not to insult metas?"

"Dodger is always very nice to Jek." Nodding his head happily Jek grinned broadly again.

"That's because he's afraid you might be able to hurt him from the physical world inside The Matrix." Hanzo was practically dismissal. "And he doesn't insult me because I could track him down and put a bullet in his meat body immediately."

"Your support is appreciated guys, truly it is." Davas sighed to himself and sent out the next call.

* * *

The alleys of Seattle were filled with pop-up advertisements, vendors, hustlers, and all forms of folk that would most charitably be described as not reputable. Certainly you could find well off individuals slumming within as well, looking to feed their BTL chip habit perhaps, of cruising for a meat parlor to satisfy their carnal desires. But the well off that frequented such locations usually knew to try and look like they were confident.

"The ones that are all jittery and nervous sure do make easy marks," muttered a deep and husky female voice. The strange combination of Chinese and Jamaican accents, coupled with the enormous tobacco pipe that sat stuck between her thick lips meant the ork woman didn't feel much worry about being overheard and understood. She ran tough fingers through her long black hair, and continued to watch the skittish woman trying unsuccessfully to sneak through the alley ahead. "How she managed to keep an affair secret this long is the real mystery. Hubby must not be all that bright, but at least he pays me well enough. Now, lead me to this mister wrong of yours so that I can get the money shot I need to keep me in soy and smokes a little while longer."

From inside her earpiece came the tone of her commlink. "Why do they always have to call while I'm on the job?" She reached up and pushed the key to answer the call. "This is Esmeralda. I'm currently working so make it quick."

"Hey Ez, it's Davas," replied a familiar voice on the other end of the line. "We've got work if you're interested, but I'll need to run you through it with the others right now."

"Fine, fine. Keep talking but don't get all offended if I don't provide many suggestions. I'm serving as a voyeur, and if you make me miss the money shot I'll have to stunball my subjects and take a much less convincing image. Let me have it though, keeps me from getting board while I follow someone that might as well be wearing neon body paint they stick out so much."

"Excellent, allow me to connect everyone else and I'll begin the briefing."

* * *

With the other members of the crew connected via commlink, Davas had Doc, Jek, and Hanzo lean in around his car as he began explaining the details Johnson had given him. "So, for those that I haven't told yet our client wants us to steal a weapons shipment from Ares Macrotechnology."

"How big is the crew we're working with for this, you're only connected to that mixed-blood gypsy ork through comms, so who is there with you?" Dodger's Matrix avatar sneered as it announced it.

"We're also bringing Jek, Hanzo, and the doctor with us. Six should serve us plenty, as it is only a one-trailer shipment we will be procuring."

"And who are we doing this all for?" Dodger spat as he waited for a reply.

"Didn't take Johnson's details, but he holds the air of a Mega about him, and the pay seems fair enough."

"You know how much I hate messing with a Mega for some low-brow single A corp slot that doesn't even have the pull or balls to protect himself let alone hide who did the job for him."

"Payment is what interests me," cut in Hanzo, ending one of Dodger's most common rants if he wasn't allowed to dig through their employers commlink during the meet. "How much up front, and what are we looking at upon completion."

"Nothing up front for this one," explained Davas. "All the prep work and materials will be out of pocket so I'm hoping we can keep it pretty simple. Once we grab the trailer we deliver it to a location set out by Johnson, and then each of us gets to take one weapon of our choice as payment, before Johnson and his goons get to pick it over."

"Jek wants a new gun, Jek likes this plan and this job." Nodding brightly to himself, Jek began cracking his knuckles. "When will Jek get his new gun?"

"The shipment should be coming down Highway 90 tomorrow, approaching Seattle just prior to midnight."

"Security?" Hanzo seemed bored as he continued along his usual questions.

"Should be an Ares CorpSec team, so nothing we aren't used to. Sounds like it should be a relatively easy grab, they are relying on the small scale of the shipment and anonymity more than force to keep it safe. Too bad for them we heard about it."

"Alright, so planning for at least two CorpSec teams since Johnsons always make it sound easier than it really is, in case they are dealing with fresh meat. So, block the highway with debris or a broken vehicle, eliminate the security teams from afar, take the truck, and deliver it. Except that they will be monitoring their shipment for signs of deviation or trouble and will scramble who knows how many more security teams as soon as we start."

"Blocking Highway 90 would probably draw Lone Star attention prior to the trailer even reaching the roadblock anyway." Rubbing his hands through his hair, Doc was biting his lower lip.

"Which means we need to get the truck off the main highway without triggering any alarms with Ares and Lone Star to start," agreed Davas.

"And that is why you have the savant of the Matrix working with you my dear puppies and kitty." Cackling to himself, Uncle Dodger was rubbing his hands together. We're going to need a security broadcast through Seattle Central Traffic Control and then I can intercept and replace the route change to somewhere in the Barrens that we can perform our ambush. But even I can't hack the traffic regulation system with a days notice and expect to be undetected, so the warning will need to go out another way or your plan is shit."

"Too bad there isn't a real accident that would block the highway," Jek considered sadly to himself. "That would make things better."

Davas, Doc, and Hanzo all looked across at each other. A smile crossed Davas' face. "We could always let slip to several different gangs that a major delivery would be coming down Highway 90 a little earlier than ours. A little go-gang war should be just the warning we would need to get a redirection across. I'll send out a few subtle messages to different gangs to meet here tomorrow for details. Start the fighting and competition early, and then one of us tells them to head towards the highway. The destruction spreads and we tell the shipment to come right where we want it. Who will meet with the gangs tomorrow?"

"Jek will do it. Jek likes meeting new people." His broad smile lit up his face.

"You'll remember what to tell them, won't you?" There was worry in Davas' voice, despite all of his social graces. Jek just gave him another broad smile and eager nod. All Davas could do was sigh and smile back.

"I'll set up some watcher spirits to keep an eye on the road and give us a time estimate for their arrival." Doc smiled along with those around him, shaking his head slightly at the renewed energy as Jek gave suggestions.

"We'll need some old damaged cars or rubble to use to make a roadblock, but it's the Barrens so we shouldn't have any trouble there." Hanzo had already started to move towards his scooter. "I'll find a nice perch to provide support from."

"Also, Dodger," continued Davas, "We'll need you with us in the meat for this run. A lot of these corp rigs don't have manual controls any more, and they disable their wireless to make them hacking resistant."

"You worthless little shits wouldn't stand a chance without me there anyway." Despite his bold words, Davas could tell that Dodger wasn't happy to hear this. "If I do this I get first pick of weapons when the job is done. Hazard pay for your most valuable and important member."

"I pick along with Dodger," added Hanzo. "Or find someone else to fill my spot. I don't take other people's rejects."

"Yes, take that you dumb bitch!" Esmeralda's voice cut in alarmingly loud across the comm frequency. She practically sang her next exclamation; "That picture is a winner for sure!"

"Ez, have you even been listening?!" Davas' voice held barely controlled annoyance. "We aren't explaining it again just for you."

"Don't wory Davas, I've been listening. Stealing weapons, roadblock, shoot people until they stop telling us not to, Dodger's meat body, blegh, getting paid in guns. Send me the coordinates and I'll be there."

"Fine, I'll send everyone their specifics and then we can meet up to get this done tomorrow night. Gather everything you need and try and get some rest if you can."

"Sounds good, I'll deliver these pictures and should have plenty of time to smoke and sleep before you need me. Esmeralda out." Her commlink channel clicked off.

With the meeting concluded Doc hopped back onto his scooter, and Jek thumped down onto his motorcycle. The two set off, Doc back towards Seattle proper and Jek down a broken street further into the Barrens. As Davas opened the door to his sedan however, Hanzo put his hand atop the door to keep it from fully opening.

"Since we don't need to take care of this job until late tomorrow, I have another job I want you to look into for me this afternoon." The tone of Hanzo's voice suggested that the offer wasn't actually up for debate.

Checking the time in the bottom of his glasses, Davas was even more thankful for his sleep regulator. "Fine, what time and where is it."

"The meet is at a coffee shop called 'More Than Just Soy', middle class, your car should fit in just fine. Be there for three o'clock this afternoon and I'll meet you. Also, get Dodger in on this one from the start, it should only take the three of us to get paid, you to do the talking, and me to get the job done. Dodger is there only if I need him."

"So, we're keeping this one from the others is what you are saying?"

"They'd only get in my way." Hanzo put his helmet on as he sat down on his scooter. "I trust you tried to make Johnson give each of us two guns each for payment of this job?"

"Of course, but this one was a tough nut to crack and he stuck to his price. I convinced him that we got to take what we wanted before his crew did at least."

Hanzo's helmet regarded Davas for a moment, then it nodded. "Good enough. See you at three." Hanzo then proceeded to drive away.

Settling himself into his car, Davas closed the door, and lay his head down gently on the steering wheel. A thin layer of perspiration covered him. Taking his Hammerli 620S out of the holster in his jacket, he placed it in the glove box. Looked like it would be an even busier day.


	3. Chapter 2: Double Dipping The Credstick

Compared to spending time within the Barrens, exploring the middle-class districts can be nearly downright paradisiacal. Roads are intact and can have vehicles driving along the road or flying above it. Buildings of every combinable size were jigsawed together forming an unnatural tapestry which threatens to block out the sun from many additional angles. Of course, it also meant that if you found yourself in the wrong reaches of it, you may live without the gift of natural sunlight falling upon you. Or you could pay to enjoy a wide open park for some sunlight if you don't mind the rest of the masses crowding in with you.

The meet spot More Beans Than Just Soy was a low, tiny hut of a shop crammed between much taller apartments. Styled after the beach-side cottages that decorated the pristine beaches found before most became sludge encrusted wastelands, even down to the bad wooden tiki totem. That chic certainly catered to a more, eccentric, clientele. Or at least those that didn't care about being seen entering or leaving such a place.

Walking through the door to the coffee hut, Davas only saw a scattered few hippy wannabe neo-anarchists sitting and savouring coffee made from real beans, not soykaf. Not even one of the patrons looked out of place however. Heading over one of the baristas, Davas gave the dreadlocked elf a smile.

"I have a business meeting scheduled here, but I'm afraid I don't see my business partners. You wouldn't be able to point me towards them would you?" Davas' voice was sweeter than the artificial caramel sauce on the back counter.

The elf nodded his head eagerly, sending his wax encrusted hair bouncing about. "Yeah, the guy you're looking for can be found round the back room. Just head on through the bamboo door behind you. No one will disturb you." As Davas turned to go the barista interrupted him before he could take more than a step. "Would you like a drink before you head in?"

"Certainly," he took the briefest of moments to look over what they offered. "I'll take a cappuccino, hold the steam soymilk." Slotting a credstick, Davas was sure to provide a generous tip to ensure the silence and privacy the backroom promised. His drink was provided to him nearly as soon as he finished his order.

Sipping at his cappuccino, Davas pushed the door to the backroom open and walked inside. What he found was little bigger than a storage closet, yet somehow they had managed to cram in a small table, four chairs, and AR screens so that you could pretend there were windows to the outside. Three suits currently sat at the table; a male dwarf and female human sitting to the sides, with a larger human man sitting in the middle.

"Come, sit and join us so that we may discuss business." The man in the middle had a thicker voice to match his waistline. The suit he wore was still perfectly tailored to his girth, and of a cut that made his dark-brown ponytail still look professional. "I must say that I certainly respect your choice in drink, let us just hope the rest of your character is as appealing."

"Once I know more about the job I assure you that myself and my team will be fully capable of accomplishing it beautifully." Pulling himself up into the chair across from Mr. Johnson Davas could see why his possible employer had commented on his drink. A steaming cappuccino sat in front of Mr. Johnson as well. Neither of the other two had any drinks in front of them, but the woman was tapping away on her commlink. Taking a long drink Davas kept his eyes firmly on Mr. Johnson.

Across the table Mr. Johnson watched Davas in return, left eye hazel, right blue, both twinkled as they waited for the shadowrunner to set his drink down. Then he spoke. "Shall we get down to business now that both our whistles have been wet I can begin our negotiations."

"Please, do go on." Davas leaned back comfortably in his chair and adjusted his glasses for better observation.

"The work that I propose will test the creativity, talent, and diligence of the people that you associate with." There was a large degree of pomp and obvious arrogance in Mr. Johnson's voice as he began. _This one isn't from a Mega_, Davas thought to himself as Johnson continued. "There is an individual that has reached the end of his usefulness. This man's name is Jameson Johnson, he is a low ranking member of EVO Corporation, barely even worth notice. Unfortunately for him, he has been noticed by the wrong kinds of people, and now he must die. The run is simple; I provide you with pictures, information regarding his work schedule and home location. You kill the man, you bring me his ring finger and the large sapphire ring that he always has on that hand. You do those things and you set up another meeting here with one of the staff. Do that and I will meet up with you again, and for your trouble I will pay you fifteen thousand nuyen. That is the deal, and I'm sure you'll find it reasonable."

"Hearing his dribble being spouted is beginning to annoy me," ground out Hanzo's voice, echoing inside Davas' head. "Those are a lot of caveats he's putting on my kind of run, and I don't appreciate him feeling like he knows our job better than we do."

"We'll see what his actual game is," Davas replied back through his comm. "I trust we'll know more shortly. Dodger, have you gathered what we need from him yet?"

"Just give me a minute you squat bastard," came back the snarky and rasping response. "I'm dancing through the alleys a little bit here."

* * *

Skulking through the Matrix, Uncle Dodger's world sculpted to resemble the dark and ominous alleys of a scum laden fantasy city. His vagabond appearance would have made him appear as scum could anyone detecting him lurking in the thick shadows around him. His script easily overpowered the default appearance, giving Dodger an easy edge making his way through the tight passageways. Evading the disappointingly lackluster security, Dodger began sifting through all the information he stumbled upon, and forced his way into.

Slipping past another oblivious pair of Patrol IC, looking to Dodger like a pair of fat and incompetent guards that were nearly asleep, he made his way into a room labeled 'Correlas International'.

"I haven't even heard of these bastard," Dodger growled to himself as he peered around the space. "Not a good start."

Dodger began rifling through a collection of letters that represented the files tucked within Mr. Johnson's assistant's commlink. Rifling through them he was surprised, and a bit disappointed by their lack of data bombs, or even encryption on them.

"This is making things far too easily, which either means that they are overconfident in their own abilities, complete amateurs, or both. Stupid bastards." He began looking over the information, and his rotten teeth smiled. "Well now, clearly it is both for these special little puppies. Time to get out of here."

With a moment's pause Uncle Dodger slinked into the digital shadows. Then he was gone.

* * *

"As there are a great many additional requirements, I'm afraid the terms will still need to be negotiated some," smiled Davas as he got Dodger's report that he had the information they wanted. "If you want the finger and ring for proof you are going to need to increase the price to twenty thousand nuyen or I walk out of here right now."

Colour rose up in Mr. Johnson's face, giving him the complexion of a bruised tomato. Hands curling into fists it didn't even look like he was breathing anymore. The woman to his left began reaching into her jacket. Davas maintained his determined demeanor, knowing that Johnson would break before the aide even had time to draw her weapon. His confidence was rewarded.

"Fine," spat out Johnson, his face contorted in indignation. "It will be twenty thousand, but if you frag this up in the slightest you will wish you had never met me."

Johnson and his entourage stormed out before they could even shake on the agreement.

"That man has never dealt with shadowrunners before." Allowing himself a slight sigh Davas finished his cappuccino and left. Hanzo was standing across the street waiting for him, his duffle bag neatly tucked against his back.

"Do you ever get tired having to put up with wretched corporate dogs like that one?" Rolling his shoulders one at a time, Hanzo's boredom was written across his face.

"While it's never easy, normally it isn't so bad." Davas flashed a nervous smile. "This one didn't have any semblance about how to actually deal with runners though. The old hands can roll with the give and take, know the way things move forward or regress. He was offended when I increased the asking price, as though he never expected me to say anything but 'Yes Mr. Johnson, of course Mr. Johnson'. His assistant very nearly shot me if he hadn't swallowed his pride and agreed. Not even another negotiation."

"She wouldn't have shot you, I would have taken the shot from my vantage point first. But then you would have owed me for negating my job before it even would have started." Hanzo cracked his neck for emphasis.

"Your run is still fragged before we even get started you pale, heartless bastard." Uncle Dodger's voice echoed across both Hanzo and Davas' comm frequencies.

"I trust you did your job and found out the important details regarding Johnson and the job. Otherwise there wasn't any reason for us to cut you in on the hit." Growling into his comm, Hanzo's voice was sharp as ice. "I've already been through the information that was given to Davas. Jameson Johnson, low ranking EVO suit, lives at work, twelfth floor office in EVO territory. He takes the same route too and from work each day, and sleeps in his apartment for a few hours, and we have the address. I break into his apartment, wait for him to get home, kill him, get the finger and ring, and we all get paid. This job will be easy, I shouldn't even break a sweat. What is wrong with it Dodger?"

"The problem, you lead-brained imbecile, is the fact that our employer wants us to take down an employee of one of the Big 10," growled out Dodger. "And our employer doesn't even belong to a AA Corp. His name is Steven Alric, a worm that only works as a negotiator for Correlas International. Correlas International, the A Corp that has some different departments in resource acquisition and distribution, as well as some lesser matrix and weapon developments. I for one am not willing to piss off one of the Big Ten just to help the little wretch steal a mining contract in Tir Tairngire. That's a lot of money, and EVO will come looking for the dumb bastard that pulled the trigger."

"And they'll never find me," cut in Hanzo. "I'm disappointed in you Dodger. I always knew you were little more than scum, but I never would have pegged you for a coward that couldn't get the job done. Correlas is offering the hit, and we have accepted it and are going to do it. If EVO was paying us to take out a Correlas target I'd accept it just as readily. And if the two corps each hired us to kill different targets of the other I'd take both, kill the better paying target first, collect the pay, then kill the second and take the pay for that one as well. This is what we do, and you can't be afraid of the consequences if you want to succeed. If you can't stomach the risk Dodger, then leave this job to me and just stay out of our way. No negotiating."

"You really are an idiot, your wired reflexes must have been attached to your spine wrong and it fucked up your brain." Uncle Dodger's voice began to grow quieter, as though he was walking away. "Piss them off on your own, and don't come crying to me when you need Matrix help." Quickly as that, Dodger was gone.

"Well that may make things awkward," Davas muttered as he started to head back to his car. "I trust that you can handle this without him after all that, right?"

"Of course." Hanzo went to his scooter. "Since you negotiated for a higher price you still get your cut, and now we only have to split it two ways. Its better to not have to put up with Dodger during it anyway, I'll hear enough from him during tonight's run. See you there."

"Yes, we'll meet at the designated spot tonight." Davas got into his car. He waited until the door closed before he muttered to himself. "Let's just hope everyone remembered to do their preparation in advance, and that they're on time.

* * *

Sitting in the control chair of his factory, Dodger spat a bloody hunk of phlegm onto the floor. One of his small drones scurried over to clean up the mess.

"Stupid, stupid, fucker," Dodger muttered as he wiped some blood from his mouth. "Killing the lead competitor's negotiator would be likely enough to put major hurt on a small group of runners with much less financial damage then the original negotiation. Especially when a rather sizeable orichalcum deposit is suspected to be within that territory." He grinned to himself slightly as he continued going through the Correlas International notes he had liberated from Steven Alric's assistant. "Maybe they would be more reasonable if they knew just how valuable the land was, but I'm not sharing information of that value with that pasty gun fucker and the bloody squat. Too bad for them I guess."

Leaning back into his chair Dodger called up an AR display. Various maps and detour regulations swirled around him, along with several sample sound-bites from old dispatches and redirects. Twiddling his fingers and flicking his eyes, Dodger began to pull the various pieces of data and then stitch them together to craft his new recording.

"Might as well finish this off for tonight's run while I'm up anyway. Take care of the job at hand first, then I can always take care of our little Correlas International problem myself if need by. Now, which sound samples have the hottest sounding dispatchers? Where are you little kitties? Uncle Dodger wants to play.

* * *

Hanzo turned off his scooter, stretched, and grabbed his duffle bag as he looked up at his apartment. Sure, there were clear cracks in the buildings aged foundation, a strange smell clung to it like a dieing rat, and the water only worked under very special phases of the moon, but it was home. The building wasn't without its advantages of course. From its rooftop all kinds of interesting individuals could be watched going about their daily lives, the futile struggles of ants beneath a magnifying glass. It could also take Lone Star over an hour to respond to any reports of trouble, allowing for a certain degree of leisure without any problems.

Climbing up the aged plascreet stairs very few of the other tenants were wandering around. The few that passed by gave Hanzo a polite nod, which he returned. No one here tended to talk much, either too busy slaving away in factories during the day, or performing whatever petty crimes or cheap tricks they had to for soy to stay on the table, or BTL's to plug in and escape from reality for a while. Those kind of neighbors suited Hanzo just fine, no need for awkward chit-chat or pretending you cared about their boring little lives. Although, given how good he was feeling today, Hanzo may even have humoured any that wanted to talk. It wasn't every day you had two runs just waiting to be completed and the nuyen ready to come flowing in.

He was feeling so good in fact, that he dropped his duffle bag off at his apartment, grabbed his black suitcase from it and picked up a chair in the other hand, and headed up to the roof to enjoy a little recreation before heading to the run meet.

The afternoon air was humid, moist, and stunk of rotting fish and sewage on the breeze. No one else ever tended to come up here, except for the poor slot a few weeks back that decided the long way down would be easier than covering all his debts. Hanzo didn't worry that he would be interrupted as he opened his case and began meticulously assembling its contents. Before long his sniper rifle was fully assembled. Setting the bipod up on the ledge around the building Hanzo settled into his chair. Adjusting the settings on his scope he began to examine one of his favourite people watching spots, a lower class shopping district several blocks away.

Sights moving from person to person, few people caught his cybereyes long enough to make him take a closer look. The usual workers, tramps, and scoundrels, all wandered about, hoping today would be their chance to find their big score, to hit it big. All no different from anyone else within fifteen paces, a few tattoos or colourful hair hardly made them special. There was nothing unique at all.

"What do we have here," whispered Hanzo as his scope finally found something different. The being in his sights was nearly three meters tall, its entire body covered in light chestnut fur. Broad face and massive arms moved a great deal, expressions and gestures that suggested it was putting on a show. A crowd had gathered around it, men, women, and children, and every so often someone would slot the creature a credstick to keep the performance going. Everyone that watched wore broad smiles, and it looked like many of them were laughing out loud.

"Not everyday you see a Sasquatch in the sprawl." Hanzo focused on its face, trying to tell what form of impression it was doing. He couldn't tell, but he smiled to himself all the same. "You are putting on quite the show there, bringing joy to all those people for just a few nuyen. Maybe you worried whether the people of the city would accept you, or if they would run you out as soon as you reared your furry head. Now you know that all your worries were in vain, and you can enjoy all the wonderful things that Seattle has to offer."

The stock of Hanzo's rifle kicked against his shoulder as the light whisper of the silencer filled his ears. The bullet tore into the Sasquatch's neck, a shower of blood and gore showering the onlookers as the explosive round detonated. People screamed as the Sasquatch fell to its knees.

"Or, you can provide a little excitement to my day with your presence." There was a tone of deep, personal satisfaction in Hanzo's voice. His eyes widened as he noticed that the Sasquatch remained on its knees, blood bubbling as the maimed creature struggled to breathe. "Ah, what a great honour you provide me today. I can't even remember the last time I had to pull my trigger twice for one target. You proved a very worthy first Sasquatch for me to take down."

Firing the second round Hanzo watched as the Sasquatch's head exploded, showering the screaming and fleeing onlookers in even more gore. Exhaling, Hanzo allowed himself a long, slow sigh as he began to disassemble his rifle. That second shot had felt even better than the first.


	4. Chapter 3: Highway To Hell

"What is taking them so long to arrive?" Growling, Hanzo glanced down at the attaché case he casually held in one hand. Replacing his usual clothes he was now clad in an incredibly tight bodysuit of sleek material with a strange reflective sheen. "If they don't arrive soon you and you and I may have to take all the pay ourselves."

The night was late and oppressively silent as deep in the Barrens as Hanzo stood. His cybereyes told him that it was approaching 11:30 PM, making his fingers getting itchy at the lack of much of the team being present.

"That idea sounds reasonable to me," scoffed back Dodger before spewing a great hunk of phlegm. He wore an ancient armored jacket, with an equally aged Ares Predator III pistol on his belt. "I've done my part and it's all set to go. As long as those other useless bastards did theirs and get their asses here we should be able to take care of things smoothly enough."

"And my barrier for the ambush is all set." Hanzo gestured towards one of the intersections nearby. Resting within it was the still smoking husk of a broken car dominated the street. "I have my angle laid out at least." Looking off he nodded as several headlights appeared and began to move closer. "How is it that an old wretch like you got here faster than the others?"

"My factory is nearby, you ungrateful prick, that's how. Good they finally got here at least, able to prove they have some worth."

A familiar blue Mercury Comet was pulling in, followed shortly behind by Doc on his Dodge Scoot. They drove past and headed the few blocks over needed for them to reach where Hanzo had already stashed his scooter. After a few minutes Davas' voice could be heard echoing off the ruined buildings around them; "I've warned you a hundred times Ez, if you smoke in my car again I'm going to throw you out no matter where we are, and if you get eaten ghouls it is your own damn fault!"

"Lighten up you little fuss bucket," Esmeralda shot back as the two of them, and Doc, rounded the corner and came into view. The ork had a pipe jutting from between her thick lips, smoke curling up from it to vanish into the night breeze.

"All of you shut your traps and get into position!" Barked out Dodger as he drew his Ares Predator. "Your delay means we don't have much longer until show time, so you don't get to dick around anymore. And where is Jek?" Dodger growled as he sat on the ground, pulling out his portable satellite uplink. Groaning as he sat down, Dodger began setting his ancient cyberdeck to optimize what connection he could pull together.

"Jek isn't here yet?" Davas looked around for a moment and then sighed. "Most likely he is still at the Hellfire Bar, convincing the gang members to stir up trouble."

"Then we do it without him, and split his share when it's done." Hanzo had already begun walking away. "Here or not the job is going forward. Get ready, don't miss, and don't block my shots."

As Hanzo made his way towards a determined sniper perch he flipped up the sleek hood of his armor. With a flickering shimmer his armor began to blend into the background, and soon he was little more than a shimmering outline as he set to preparing his rifle.

"Time to get prepped I guess," muttered Doc as he made his way behind a low broken wall. "Give me the sit-rep once our target is approaching." Pulling his commlink out of his pack he wedged himself between the wall and ground. Flipping through a few screens he found the page of the current book he was reading.

"Will do." Davas moved to join Doc, pulling out his Hammerli pistol and checked his smartlink between the gun and his glasses.

Esmeralda moved about thirty meters further down the street than Davas and Doc, knocked out the ashes from her pipe, stuffed it with another load of tobacco, and set to puffing away. Taking some ear buds from her jacket she set her commlink to start playing the latest pirated goblin rock album to hit the Matrix. Her head rocked back and forth as she waited for Dodger to give them all the alert that their target was on in bound.

The wait lasted for just south of twenty minutes, but sure enough Dodger's cyber-implants alerted him to the target vehicles presence. Within moments he had pinpointed and was tracking the transport's location, as well as monitoring their radio chatter, prepared to redirect it to his hardware when necessary. "Look alive puppies and kitties, we've got our presents preparing to be delivered to us. One truck and a pair of basic patrol cars to protect it. No radio signal for trouble on the road yet, so Jek better get his ass in gear if we are going to get our presents."

"He'll get the job done I'm sure, we just have to believe in Jek's persuasive personality." Davas had righted himself from his cramped position. He checked his gun once more. "How much longer before they pass the turnoff intend for them to take?"

"Not long, five minutes tops at their current rate," grumbled Dodger as he continued to monitor the target's progress.

"If they get past that turn we'll have to go get them, which means we'll need to use your car to catch up Davas," Hanzo had his rifle positioned in front of him, the only clearly visible belonging of his with the chameleon suit active. "We aren't letting the payday get away should they happen to pass our barrier, and my scooter wouldn't keep up in a chase."

"All of you can't fit in my car comfortably." There was a touch of disdain in Davas' voice at the thought of cramming his nice, traditional car full of gun-toting runners. And the odds of his insurance premium increasing didn't help his nerves any.

"We might be able to make it work," suggested Doc as he tucked away his commlink. "Hanzo sits up front with you, Dodger is in the middle of the back, with me and Ez to either side of him. Best mobility for the…"

"Shut the fuck up wizard boy," shouted Dodger into his micro-transceiver, making the others flinch. "We've got something on the radio." Dodger had already re-routed the frequency to himself instead of the intended destination.

"Dispatch, we've got reports of large scale gang activity ahead of us on Highway 90," came a man's gruff voice through Dodger's comm. "Requesting an alternate route to ensure safe delivery of the cargo."

Grinning his rotten-toothed grin, Dodger began transmitting from the stitched together responses he had prepared the night before. A soothing female voice replied on his behalf. "Report of distress received, determining alternate route." He paused for few moments before sending the next portion of the message, just to make it seem like the person on the other end was searching for the alternate route. "We have a safe path through the Barrens that you can follow, mostly direct and reports indicate little if any hostile forces should be along the way, much less resistance than along your current route. Sending new trajectory now." Still grinning like a monster from old fairy tales, Dodger sent the bait.

There was a moment's pause as the driver considered the new directions. Then his voice came back over the airwaves. "Thanks central, this route should help us manage the delivery on time even. Much appreciated. I'll keep you informed if anything else occurs. Hopefully the gang mess will be dealt with before too long."

"Safe journey," added Dodger's prepared digital voice. Disconnecting his audio from the vehicle Dodger was able to use his regular voice to inform his fellow runners the good news. "Target is inbound you pricks, get your asses in gear and be ready for the show to start."

"Sounds like Jek got the job done after all." With an earger smile Esmeralda switched off her music, cracked her knuckles, and brushed her thick matte of hair out of her eyes. "Show time."

"Dispatch, we have a group of Ancients pursuing us," called back the driver of the Ares Transport, a slight edge to his voice. "Would appreciate any assistance that could be provided."

"Fuck off, of course they would get themselves chased," complained Dodger as he set to his response. Reconnecting his audio output he had the female voice direct back to the driver. "Your difficulty has be noted, we will send a response team to your location as quickly as possible. Please continue forwards." Once more Dodger switched so that only his companions could hear him. "We've got incoming Ancients now along with the CorpSec team."

"Things never go as easily as they are planned to," sighed Hanzo as looked down the sights of his rifle. "Sounds like I may go through more rounds than I had hoped. Such is life."

A few scattered gunshots could be heard off in the distance. They continued intermittently, growing louder and ever closer with each salvo. Then headlights glared into view as the convey and their pursuers rounded the corner leading towards the trap. Many more headlights than had been anticipated.

Two corporate security patrol cars surrounded the large semi-trailer hauling the desired score. From inside the cars leaned armored CorpSec members, firing their submachine guns towards the crowd of bikes gaining quickly behind them. Hanzo's keen cybereyes picked out the acid-green A's inscribed upon the jackets and vehicles of the elven Ancient gangers that were chasing after their payday. There were seven in total, six upon Yamaha Growlers that fired back with pistols, while the seventh rode center of the group upon a gleaming green Suzuki Mirage and appeared to be preparing to pull the pin on a grenade.

"Doc, Ez, we have uninvited guests inbound," Hanzo called through the group's comm frequency, his voice sounding almost bored. "Put their asses down so that we can get to work."

"I've got this one," offered Doc as he shook out his hands. Intoning quietly to himself he wove mana between his hands and set it to work. He generated a thin, nearly invisible cord about the width of a thick rope, suspending it in the air behind the second security car and in front of the Ancients. It would be right about chest level for those on bikes, or head level if they were leaned forward over the handlebars.

The first Ancient hit the thin barrier without even slowing down, knocked backwards as his off-road motorcycle went clattering across the broken street. Others were knocked from their seats or braked hard, none making it beyond the vexing barrier. None except for the leader that is, who in a daring feet of cycle jockeying slid his motorcycle along the ground, his long golden hair spinning around him as he reared his bike up in a fierce wheelie, all appearances the hero of a trid preparing to strike down the villains and get the girl.

"Grenade still inbound, do better on the next one Doc." The chiding tone in Hanzo's voice was edged with ice, and a promise that there would be no third attempt offered.

"Fine, I'll do it the simple way then. Just trying to have some fun, like bowling in reverse." Doc still allowed himself to smile as he charged up a potent ball of mana and hurled it for the skilled Ancient's chest. The staggering blow resulted in the elf swerving his beautiful motorcycle into a low wall. Blond hair billowed about as the ganger was thrown through the air to vanish amongst the broken and tattered walls. A few seconds later and the echoing explosion of a grenade suggested he had succeeded in pulling the pin prior to his unexpected trip. "Grenade has been tended to." Doc watched as Esmeralda fired a few stunbolts of her own to neutralize the Ancients that had stopped prior to the barrier. "Only the actual targets remain active."

"Don't be too pleased with yourself little puppy, there is still the real show to put on." Dodger's voice was heavy with disdain. "Based on their comm frequency they've spotted our little barricade and are starting to get the sense of something being wrong. Get ready to take your shot Hanzo, they will probably only stop for a moment before one of the cars rams through our trap."

Silence hung over their communicators. The convoy made its way closer to the desired location. Davas piped up to determine the cause of the silence; "Hanzo, do you read, we need to know if…"

"I'll be able to make the shot if you all shut your mouths and let me aim." Hanzo's voice was flat and steady. It did not stand to be argued with. "Next person to talk before I pull the trigger may find themselves in my sights next."

With that reassuring promise echoing in everyone's ears, they all waited without another word. The three vehicles approached the burnt out barricade, the lead cruiser breaking so that its bumper just nudged the shell of a car. Break lights lit up across the many vehicles. Using the magnification in his glasses, Davas could see the driver up front switch his car into a lower gear to push through the barrier.

Glass shattered and blood filled the cab of the trailer as Hanzo's sniper round tore through much of the rigger's face. The second explosive round detonated what was left of the poor man's head before the sound of the first round had diminished. With that opening everything came into motion at once.

The woman sitting beside the now mangled rigger dropped low out of sight in her seat. Turning off the headlights to their cars the CorpSec members opened the doors and took cover from the side of the street where the sniper rounds had been fired from. There were 6 in total, all well armored and armed. Davas' ear buds let him pick up the sound of the security team's weapons being slotted with fresh clips.

"Truck isn't drivable from wireless," Dodger informed his companions. "Must have been modded with only a rigger interface, so I'll need to get in there for us to grab the goods."

More windows shattered and one CorpSec guard's head erupted in gore as Hanzo fired another round. "Then we need to eliminate the rest of these pawns. Assistance mages, I don't want to have to waste this many rounds on grunts."

"Whatever you crass killer of men you," shot back Esmeralda as she looked at one of the security guards. She folded mana within her hands and prepared to fire a solid blast, only to have it disperse as soon as it left her hands. "Shit, we may have a problem. They've got someone running counterspelling support. Doc, be a dear and help me find and take down the sneaky slot won't you?"

"On it." With a blink Doc changed his perception to scan the Astral Plane for signs of this other awakened individual. He quickly found her, the security member hiding in the truck cab, just peeking her head up to see, glowing with a bright light. But that wasn't what worried him most. "Shit, we may have a problem guys, looks like they've got extra magic support tucked away in the back of the truck."

As though on cue the additional magical defenses materialized from within the trailer. A pair of spirits loomed tall above the street, one a roaring pillar of brilliant red and orange flames strands licking out like a hellish squid, while the other was a whirling dervish of strong winds and crackling electricity. The fire elemental turned glaring eyes or black smoke upon Doc and roared with the terrible sound of a venting furnace, terror filling Doc's mind.

"Fucking, mana sucking bitch of all odds!" Shouted out Doc as he cowered behind his broken wall. "Always another fire elemental, why of all things does it have to be another fire elemental! Ez, you need to deal with the air elemental and I'll deal with the fire."

"Are you sure you want the fire one," called back Ez as she began preparing another spell.

"I don't want it, but that thing is going to be coming at me whether I do anything to it or not." Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Doc began focusing all the mana he could muster into one of his spells. "This had better work."

"Sounds like Doc and I are on spirit detail, you lot need to deal with the rest of the squishy people." Esmeralda prepared to fire another manabolt, but again it was wisped away from her grasp. "And if one of you kills that mage I'd be happy enough to give out a big kiss."

"That sounds more like a punishment than a reward," spat out Dodger as he fired a few rounds from his Ares Predator towards the truck cab. The bullets punched against metal, forcing the security mage to duck her head fully down. He then began muttering under his breath "They aren't bug spirits, just run of the mill elementals. No need to bring out the special rounds Dodger, save them for when it matters, save them for when it matters."

From beside Doc, Davas popped up and fired a few rounds towards the rear car's security members. None of the rounds even ended up close to any of the targets, all just crashed into the side of the car. Shallow, but exceptionally wide dents popped up wherever a round struck. "This isn't really my specialty," he muttered to himself as he ducked, hands shaking. Just in time it turned out, as a barrage of return fire began sending up dust from the barrier.

"You stupid, worthless, son of a bitch!" Hanzo didn't raise his voice, but the seething displeasure lacing the words made them burn like acid. He fired another round, and tore the right arm from another target, sending it falling to the ground motionless. Only one guard remained with the front vehicle thanks to Hanzo's pinpoint shots. "If you tell me that you came into this armed with gel rounds I may be less than understanding!"

"I don't kill people, I talk to them!" Davas screamed it louder than was needed to be heard as he flinched down even further, bullets continuing to pepper the broken wall that served as his lifeline. Sweat beaded his forehead as his white-knuckled fingers gripped his pistol.

"Great, a bloody pacifist." Hanzo set his sights on the last target with the front car. Then his body convulsed terribly as an arcing bolt of electricity ran through him and sent him sliding backwards. Adjusting his sights he noted that the air elemental had taken a personal interest in him. "And I don't think monsters like you die to bullets." An explosive round detonated against the transport trailer behind the spirit, digging out a sizeable chunk in the armored container. "Didn't hurt me to try at least," he ground out to himself through clenched teeth. The shot had ended up six inches from where he had aimed.

Physical weapons failing to stop them, the pair of spirits resumed their assault. The whirling maelstrom of fire burst towards Doc, tendrils of flame licking across the street and carving delicate swirls in its surface. Carving through the plascreet barrier before it, the elemental's tendrils ran down Doc's right side, burning through armor and charring the flesh of his arm. At the same moment the air elemental sent another blast of lightning towards Hanzo. The coursing electricity was enough to send the man's body rocking through the air, and shorting out the camouflage of his chameleon suit.

Hanzo did not stir from where his body came to rest.

"Combat support is down," called out Dodger. Rising up from his ruined cover he fired a trio of rounds at the final remaining guard with the front vehicle. Two bullets pierced the man's chest, dropping him to the ground, while the third shattered one of the vehicle's windows. "Deal with those spirits now or none of us will be leaving here!"

Doc's eyes blazed white as he stared down the fire spirit before him. "Doesn't matter what I do, you living fires always try to burn me down. But this time I will light you up." Unleashing all of the mana that he had stored up, Doc unleashed an arc of lightning many times greater than the spirit had fired. The mystic bolt struck the fire spirit with such force that a great hole was torn through it. Eyes of gleaming fire grew wide and the spirit unleashed an otherworldly roar that shook the earth and left Doc and Davas with ringing ears. Then it vanished back into the Astral Plane.

Esmeralda on the other hand was having a great deal more difficulty eliminating the spirit of air. She would get in a manabolt, and then have to duck to avoid the searing lightning that was fired back. Already the barrier she hid behind was beginning to smolder and show signs of strain. Dodger provided her some help however, firing to keep the security mage from getting to pop her head up.

During this Davas used his smartgun sync to fire a few gel rounds towards the guards at the rear vehicle, rounds bouncing from the car's armored plates. The guards kept a near constant barrage of fire on his barrier from their submachine guns, leaving Davas the opportunity to only raise his gun above the cover for firing back.

Then the roar of an engine pulled everyone's attention for a moment. A lone motorcycle, a troll-sized Harley Davidson, barreled down the road towards the carnage surrounding the Ares trailer. The enormous figure riding the chopper guided the handlebars with one hand, the other waving an enormous combat axe above its head. Behind the lone headlight a pair of eyes glowed like twin portals into Hell.

One of the remaining Ares security officers turned their SMG upon the charging troll, emptying the clip into the massive figure. Bullets skittered off of armor and flesh as though the troll was driving through a rainstorm. A great bellow escaped from the rider; "HYDE!"

"Holy shit," Davas muttered from his hiding place, hands shaking terribly. "Jek made it after all."

With the troll's entrance granting a momentary distraction, Esmeralda took her opportunity to strike the spirit of air that looked away from her for a moment to take in the new threat. Unleashing a potent blast of raw mana, Esmeralda's spell sent the whirling dervish of a spirit tumbling apart in a torrent of debris. She immediately crashed back down behind her cover and wiped at her exhausted eyes. Her fingers came away with hints of bloodied tears. "Well, that was no fun at all," the ork muttered to herself as she watched the conclusion of Jek's charge.

The massive troll rode through all the bullets rained down upon him, coming up beside the security members. Maneuvering the massive axe like a trained Combat Bike rider, Jek hooked the great blade between one guard's legs with startling precision. Then he pulled up and thrust forwards.

In a shower of mutilated flesh and bone the unfortunate bastard on the end of Jek's axe was torn in half, limbs flying in multiple directions from the force of the blow. The man's two companions both turned their weapons upon Jek, emptying both clips upon the troll at full burst. Unperturbed by the onslaught, Jek slowly stepped off of his motorcycle.

Seeing the complete lack of effect their weapons were having, and the destruction of all their spirit support the Corporate security members had had enough. The mage from inside the truck and the two still standing at the back vehicle all cut and ran. Heading directly away from the group of runners, the trio of security members headed into the Barrens.

Seeing the fleeing CorpSec forces, Dodger fired another controlled burst from his Ares Predator III. The bullets drove hard into the poor slot's back, leaving them to collapse face down on the ground. Glaring after the two fleeing figures that yet lived, Jek began to slowly lumber after them, growling to himself "Hyde."

"Where is Jek going?" Esmeralda grumbled to herself as she made her way over to Doc and Davas. "We need to grab the merchandise and get out of here."

"He's probably going to ensure there are no survivors." Opening the door to the truck, Dodger pulled out the gore-splattered corpse of the rigger. He then hooked himself up to the control console. "We can let him catch up before we deliver to Johnson just in case the sneaky bastard tries to fuck us. Now saddle up and let's get out of this shit hole."

"Ez, ride with Dodger." Davas began sprinting off towards his car. "I'll bring my car over to put Doc and Hanzo's scooters in the back and trunk. Doc will grab Hanzo and we'll tend to him on the way to the meet."

"This ambush did end with more damage to our side than I would have liked." Doc was still cringing as his hands glowed over his wounds. Slowly the burns began to fade slightly, although the flesh was still red and raw afterwards. "I'll be earning my keep for this run if nothing else." He ran off and began tending to Hanzo's injuries.

Climbing into the truck beside Dodger, Esmeralda brought out her pipe and lit it. "Alright your creepy old man, take us away."

* * *

"How did it all go so bad so quickly?" Sweat and tears streaming down the CorpSec officer's face as he fled through the ruined streets of the Seattle Barrens. The rest of his unit were either dead or scattered and he hadn't seen them for a few moments now.

When Corporal Stevenson had finally been able to get a job in Corporate Security his wife had been so happy, but worried as well. He'd had to ensure her that his first assignment was a harmless guard duty following keeping a little gun shipment safe. There was no risk to him, it would pay well, and it would be easy for him to bring in an enormous hazard bonus to help the kids through their schooling. Kissing his wife and kids goodbye had seemed so simple a thing to do, because he was sure he would make it back to them in only a few days. And now he was running for his life, a horrible monster chasing him with the intent of cruel murder.

These Shadowrunners had proved to be ruthlessly efficient in their assault, even with Lieutenant Amelia's spirits to try and eliminate anything that got in the way. But then the mojo and bullets were flying, people and spirits dieing all around him, and there was nothing he could do. Stevenson thought he had grazed one of the runners, but in the madness he still couldn't be sure. All he knew was that in order to make it back to his wife and children he needed to find Lieutenant Amelia again. She was always able to stay calm, and had a back-up plan for every situation.

A great weight drove into Corporal Stevenson's back and knocked him to the ground. He rolled over to push it off, and found himself staring into the lifeless eyes of Lieutenant Amelia. Blood splattered her form, and her legs looked to have been cut off by some enormous blade. An expression of terror and pain was frozen upon his superior's features. The tears in Stevenson's eyes blurred his vision even further, but it didn't stop him from hearing the heavy footfalls approaching him, and the menacing growl that echoed in the stagnant air.

"HYDE!"

The enormous troll that had so completely derailed their defenses walked to stand over him. Stevenson swung up his SMG, but the troll brought his axe swinging down with terrible speed and cleaved the young man's arm from his body. Unable to defend himself, Stevenson closed his eyes and waited for the swift death brought on by the fierce blade. Such an easy reprieve did not come.

After several moments there was a hot and wretched breathe upon his face. Opening his eyes, a fresh warmth spread across the young man's legs. Staring intently into his eyes was the troll, faces mere inches from touching. A sadistic smile spread across the monstrous features, and then a pair of enormous hands wrapped around his face. Thumbs dug into soft eyes until they burst. Pain unlike anything he had ever suffered surged through Stevenson's body and he screamed as long and as loudly as he could. The grip only grew tighter, and tighter around his head, until with a sickening crack the man's entire skull caved in upon a horrible gory mess.

Death was instantaneous. There was not even time for the poor slot to think of his wife instead of the pain.

In death the man was unable to hear the call that came through Jek's comm. "Jek, can you read me? This is Davas. We have the shipment and are moving to the drop site. Forwarding it to you know. Jek, if you can hear me please respond."

At the sound of his friend's voice Jek blinked his eyes, heavily and slowly. By the time they opened he had resumed his slight childish grin and glint to his eyes. He lifted one of his gore soaked hands to tap his ear in order to initiate his commlink, as unnecessary as the gesture may be.

"Hello." His cheerful voice called out clearly to Davas on the other end of the line. "I am done here and will come to where you want me to go."

Turning to head back towards his motorcycle, Jek saw a lone figure hunched over behind one of the broken walls. The figure was clearly looking towards the scene of carnage that Jek had generated. The great troll seemed unbothered.

"Hello." He called out with his usual warm greeting. "My name is Jek. Who are you?"

A cackling and wheezing laugh echoed out from the strange figure. "I cannot recall the last time someone showed the courtesy to ask me my name upon meeting me. Most simply pull whatever weapon they have and try to murder me on the spot. This generosity is hilarious in a way. But, in answer to your question you may call me Chains."

"I don't think that is your real name." Jek still smiled. "But if that is what you want me to call you than I will. Until you tell me your real name. What do you want?"

Again the slight laughter from Chains. "Down to business, this I can approve of and enjoy. What I was wondering is if you are planning on doing anything with those bodies."

Jek looked clearly confused. After a few moments he shook his head back and forth, a few bits of gore splattering off. "No, I will not use them. Do you want them?"

The shrill shriek from Chains' laughter bounced off the stones and broken plascreet around them. For a few instances it sounded as though dozens of people all laughed from every direction. "You would just give me these bodies, no questions asked, no compensation asked for, no threats or warnings to forget what you look like? Never have I been given such a generous and seemingly heartfelt offer. I will take them most thankfully." Chains slowly crept forward, and as he grew closer it was very clear that he was no longer completely human. Open sores covered his gray skin, some patches were torn and bore old scars. Yellowed and sharpened teeth shone out in a grin, beneath a pair of blind silver eyes. The ghoul made its way quickly to the victims.

Fingers going quickly through the available corpses Chains turned his head back and sniffed loudly through the air. "I will also take the other corpses you have back where the broken cars are. For your trouble I would like to give you this." From inside his tattered jacket he pulled out a credstick and handed it to Jek. "Payment for services rendered. Should you ever find yourself with additional bodies that need disposal, bring them to me and I will pay you for them happily. It was very nice to meet you Mr. Jek."

"It is just Jek." He took the credstick and then began to walk back towards his bike, a large grin. "Jek will remember you would give me nuyen for bodies. Jek has lots of cyberware he needs to buy. Talk to you later Chains."

The troll walked away looking at the credstick in his hand. Chains the ghoul grabbed his first two corpses and began to drag them away. He and his companions would eat well tonight.

"That is a troll I can like," chuckled Chains as he vanished into the shadows with his prizes.

* * *

The warehouse where Johnson wanted the meet appeared quite from outside. The lights were out and there wasn't anyone around the perimeter.

"At least the drive here was quiet. Driving through the factories at this time of night is very nearly peaceful." Esmeralda mumbled at bit more to herself as she took another long pull from her pipe. She then turned on her comm to contact the others. "Dodger and I are here. No movement outside and it looks pretty quiet inside. We doing this or not?"

"No choice," called back Davas. "Doc and I are almost there now with Hanzo. I'd feel better if he was conscious to cover us, but that isn't going to happen. Let me park a ways away, and then I'll join you all in the truck before we head in."

"Hello!" Jek's cheery voice called in. "Jek is almost here too! Jek will come with you so he can pick his gun."

"Great, we have a whole fucking circus to take with us." Dodger complained as he continued to wait. "I just want to get paid and get this all done, since none of you have any idea whether or not Johnson is going to try and frag us the second we walk out of the truck. We should just take our guns, leave the truck outside"

None of the others bothered to reply. Car and motorcycle simply pulled up, Davas and Jek left their vehicles, and Davas climbed in while Jek grabbed onto the side of the truck. The four runners then made their way towards the designated factory. The vehicle bay doors slithered up to allow them access.

"Too late to take just grab one now," complained Dodger as he brought the truck to a stop.

Mr. Johnson stood in the center of the warehouse floor, surrounded by a half-dozen high class bodyguards all armed with clearly expensive assault rifles. At least two of them were Ares Alphas, grenade launchers and all. Johnson pulled back his sleeve, as though he actually was checking his watch for the time instead of just using his AR display.

Jek hopped down, with Dodger, Esmeralda, and Davas hopped out of the cab. Davas walked over to greet Mr. Johnson. "We have your shipment for you, if you would like to examine the contents to verify the successful delivery, we will then take our payment and allow you to distribute the merchandise to appropriate customers."

Giving a simple nod back, Mr. Johnson and one of his bodyguards moved to the back of the truck. After a brief paws the doors popped open. Mr. Johnson stepped inside, took a commlink from his bodyguard, and began looking over the contents. After a few minutes he came back out.

"It appears everything is in order." Johnson's deep voice held a hint of satisfaction. "Everything is still accounted for, so I appreciate none of you trying to skim off the top. Take your weapons as payment, and then enjoy the rest of your day."

"Jek wants to grab weapon first!" Without waiting for anyone else Jek ran into the back of the truck. His smile soon faltered as he looked over the weapons inside. "What is this? No assault cannons? No heavy machine guns? Jek is sad." He then simply grabbed the nearest, largest gun he could and walked out. "Jek will need to sell this later."

Davas made his way in next, picking up a collection for himself, Doc, and Hanzo. He ran a quick inventory check, and grabbed a trio of the most expensive pistols that were available inside the truck. Esmeralda and Dodger grabbed their weapons next. With everyone having collected their payment they made their way back outside.

"See you chumps later, I have shit to do." With a few taps of his cyberdeck Dodger walked a slight distance forward. A hover-taxi with drone driver set itself down in front of him. The old wretched man pulled himself into the taxi and it set off, back towards the Barrens.

"Jek has a gun he needs to sell, so Jek will follow you around for a bit." He headed back over towards his motorcycle.

"Selling this quick does sound like a good idea," agreed Esmeralda. "Hey Davas, I need a lift, mind if I catch it with you?"

"Fine, I need to drop Doc and Hanzo off at Doc's clinic anyway, so I might as well ferry everyone I guess." Davas sighed a bit as he popped another stick of Betel into his mouth. "Then I need to sell our guns and deal out the payments. A little bit of errand running for the near future."

"Jek likes running errands." The troll smiled to himself as he pulled up on his Harley.

"Of course you do Jek," grinned Ez. "Last I checked you like nearly anything."

"This is true."

The group of runners then headed off. It would still be hours before the sun even came up. They had had a busy start to their day.


End file.
